Connecticut freshman Breanna Stewart froze up at times during the Huskies' postgame press conference, but that was far from the way she played on the biggest stage of her young career at the 2013 Women's Final Four.

Stewart propelled UConn to its first victory in the past five meetings against rival Notre Dame, scoring a game-high 29 points to send the team to Tuesday's national championship after an 83-65 victory at the New Orleans Arena.

When asked about her performance after the game, which included four blocks and five rebounds in 35 minutes of action, she smiled sheepishly and said her self-assured attitude made the difference.

"This postseason I've really gained a lot more confidence; I was really looking forward to playing (against Notre Dame)," Stewart said. "We know Notre Dame is a good team that'll make runs, so we had to answer with our own runs."

UConn did just that to end the first half after both teams had started the night with poor shooting numbers; Notre Dame was 2 of 21 from the floor at one point and UConn 7 of 22. But a 7-0 run in a 48-second span and a 14-3 burst through the last 3:22 of the first period gave UConn a 39-29 halftime lead and set the tone for the rest of the game in which Notre Dame's smallest deficit was six points (61-55).

UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Notre Dame didn't lose the game; the Huskies won it, thanks in large part to Stewart's maturation.

"I'm glad it didn't come down to the last minute; I didn't want to screw it up again," Auriemma said. "We knew we couldn't count on Notre Dame losing the game. (Stewart) really takes things to heart and puts a lot of pressure on herself ....That's rare for an 18-year-old.

"I've never seen a freshman have a game like this in this environment."

Her teammates agreed.

"Stewart plays her heart off; you don't see many freshmen who do that," said senior Kelly Faris. "This is what we knew was in her. This is what we wanted her to get back to."

The UConn defense also rose to the occasion, limiting star point guard Skylar Diggins to two points in the first half and 10 for the game on 3 of 15 shooting. Diggins fought back tears afterward as she leaves the Irish as their all-time leading scorer, and she said her team uncharacteristically didn't have an answer for the Huskies' attack - not just defensively.

"We just missed some jumpers we usually knock down; credit their defense," Diggins said. "We just didn't play good defense, got out in transition and they scored. We didn't lock down on defense like we normally do. They outworked us."

Notre Dame finished at 30 percent shooting (22 of 74), while UConn checked in at 47 percent (29 of 62) in victory. Stewart made four 3-pointers in five tries, another game-high.

Next up, UConn faces Louisville for the national championship in an all-Big East title game. UConn beat the Cardinals by 14 points in their only meeting this season.

However, Stewart and the Huskies aren't focusing on the past. In fact, Auriemma said the players have come so far that they've quashed his worries about rising to the occasion when it counts the most.

"One of the things that worried me about our team for the longest stretches ... was I don't know that we have anybody with the attitude that you need sometimes to win a national championship," Auriemma said. "Even (Stewart), she gets 29, but it wasn't like an in-your-face 29."

But they've got another chance to make their record sixth straight Final Four a championship year Tuesday night. As for early thoughts on Louisville, Auriemma said coach Jeff Walz does fit the cocky mold.

"He's the cockiest guy I ever met," Auriemma said. "He wears an Italian tablecloth for a shirt today. I was gonna hire him for my restaurant. But I've gotten to know him really well ... and probably over the last two or three years, I don't think there's anybody I respect more for their coaching ability than Jeff. Louisville really thinks they're the best team in the country right now."

The Huskies hopes to prove that notion wrong with confidence they built Sunday.